Kentucky Basketball: First Half Notes Versus Auburn
By Chad Adams
Kentucky Basketball: The Cats forced turnovers, got out on the break and were hot from 3-point range to build a 51-39 lead at the break versus Auburn
Kentucky came out hot, shooting 8-12 from 3-point range, forced eight turnovers and generally had their way with Auburn offensively, shooting 18-31 from the field overall, with several transition runouts leading to points on their way to a 51-39 lead at the break. De’Aaron Fox was unstoppable at times off the bounce, driving the lane at will for 11 first-half points, while Malik Monk has been shooting lights out, going 4-6 from the field, including 2-4 from the 3-point range for 12 first-half points.
Yet head coach John Calipari didn’t seemed especially pleased during his interview heading into the locker room for the break, lamenting his team’s failure to make the extra pass, capitalize on opportunities and make the correct outlet pass at times on the break. And it was clear he will be getting on his players about defensive discipline and stopping drives to the basket.
Defensively, Kentucky has been pretty solid for the most part, especially with on-ball pressure in the half court, that lead to those eight Auburn first-half turnovers. Kentucky has also recorded three steals and two blocks.
However, at times Auburn has been able to capitalize on basic pick-and-roll sets, forcing Kentucky to switch into tough matchups, with Cats big men defending Tiger guards. Those breakdowns lead to several trips where Auburn got good looks, and the Tigers were knocking them down early, shooting 17-34 from the field for that half, including 4-7 from 3-point range.
T.J. Dunks drove the lane several times for Auburn on his way to eight points at the break, while T.J. Lang hit three 3-pointers on his way to team-high nine points.
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Look for Kentucky to continue to attack on the break, and I would be surprised if the Cats didn’t show more discipline defensively in the second half. More feeding the post would also be welcome; Bam Adebayo currently has six points on 1-2 shooting from the field, 4-6 from the free throw line.